You're listening to an I-Heart podcast.

Hi, it's Emily Tish Sussman, host of the podcast, She Pivots.

In honor of Mother's Day, we have some very special guests.

I'm Elaine Welteroff.

And I'm Caitlin Murray.

Both women pivoted out of their careers after having their kids,

proving that motherhood is just another chapter in our journey, not the end.

Come on over to hear their full stories.

You can listen to She Pivots on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of IHeart Radio.

Hi, my name is Robert Lamb, and this is The Artifact, a short form series from Stuff to Blow Your Mind focusing on particular objects, ideas, and moments in time.

I'd like to take a break from all the recent monster fact episodes to discuss an artifact,

though a monstrous one to be sure, the hand of glory.

It is, in short, a grisly candle holder made from the mummified,

pickled, or otherwise preserved hand of an executed criminal, such as one left hanging at a crossroads. In Brewer's dictionary of phrase and fable, Evor Evans also describes it as a dead man's hand, quote,

soaked in oil and used as a magic torch. When candled, depictions vary. Sometimes the

hands vary fingers taper into flaming wicks. This version was more or less brought to the screen

in 1973's The Wicker Man,

while other times a candle is simply inserted into the knuckles of the hands closed fist.

The 18th century French Grimor Petit Albert provides a detailed recipe of the hand's construction, including how to cure it

and how to make the candle. But let us turn to the alleged power of the hand of glory once lit.

According to various 19th century stories, it would render those who gazed upon it or all those

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